1. Field of the Invention
Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to an apparatus and method for preparing, cooling for long term storage and automatically dispensing food and beverage products, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for hot or cold batch preparing, cooling for long term storage and automatically dispensing individual servings of hot or cold soup made fresh from scratch, can or concentrate.
2. Discussion of the Background
Soup is a savory liquid food that is made by boiling ingredients, such as meat, vegetables and beans in stock or hot water, until the flavor is extracted, forming a broth. Boiling was not a common cooking technique until the invention of waterproof containers about 5,000 years ago.
Traditionally, soup is classified into two broad groups: clear soups and thick soups. The established French classifications of clear soups are bouillon and consommé. Thick soups are classified depending upon the type of thickening agent used: purées, which are vegetable soups thickened with starch; bisques are made from puréed shellfish thickened with cream; cream soups are thickened with béchannel sauce; and veloutés are thickened with eggs, butter and cream. Other ingredients to thicken soups and broths include rice, flour, and grains.
Soup may have various sized whole, diced or sliced vegetables, herbs, spices, meats, grains and the like in the various broths.
Soup concentrate/powder as we know or understand today originated in the form of condensed soup, which is a canned variety of soup prepared with a reduced proportion of water. The consumer was required to add water or milk to the condensed soup and heat the mixture. Condensed soup was developed by John T. Dorrance, an employee of the Campbell's® Soup Company, in 1899.
There may be many important health and nutritional reasons to consume delicious soup. Soup may provide vitamins, antioxidants and some varieties of soup can add fiber to the diet. Plus many soups are packed with vegetables helping a consumer reach a daily goal of five servings of fruits and vegetables.
Soups come in so many varieties that the actual nutrient composition differs depending on the ingredients used, but here are some examples of the goodness that soups can provide. Tomato soup is a good source of vitamins A, Bs, C and the powerful antioxidant called lycopene. Pumpkin soup is also packed with potassium and Vitamin A. Sweetcorn & Potato soup is a great fiber boost. Minestrone soups can contain as many as eight to ten different vegetables. Soups may also be a great way to increase fluid intakes over the colder winter months when it is less appealing to drink cold water.
Soup is not only a good way to boost ones intake of nutrients but it fits within a healthy balanced diet too. A bowl or mug of soup with a couple of slices of wholegrain toast may be a meal generally low in fat. More and more it is becoming important to lower energy and fat intake to help lessen the risk of becoming overweight or obese.
Restaurants, cafeterias and other food establishments around the world, often offer their customers hot or cold soups. In most food establishments the soup is either made fresh from scratch or from a soup can or concentrate blend with water and/or milk. The disadvantage that these establishments have now is that to be able to serve soup quickly, the soup pot is kept hot and the portion of the soup that is not sold during the day has to be discharged, creating waste and pollution. Kitchens that keep the soup refrigerated use significant space and labor time to cool and heat the dispensing portions.
The quality of the soup may degrade rapidly over time with continuous heating. The aforementioned disadvantages are further complicated when more than one type of soup is served. A need exists for a method of automatically dispensing hot or cold soup made fresh from scratch, can or concentrate that is continuously kept cool until being served, for long shelf life and consumed completely without waste or pollution.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and therefore it may contain information that does not form any part of the prior art nor what the prior art may suggest to a person of ordinary skill in the art.